May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
You’ve been born again through the living word of God, which lasts forever. You haven’t been born again from a seed that will die, but from one that can’t die.
I keep asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the wisdom and understanding that come from the Holy Spirit. That way you will get to know God better.
The water of the flood is a picture of the way that baptism now saves you too. It doesn’t save you by washing the dirt off your body. Instead, it’s your way of promising God that you’ll keep a clear conscience by the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
Whenever we pray to our God and Father, we remember the work that your faith produces, the service that’s the result of your love, and the strength to continue that comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery among the Gentiles. And here’s what it is: Christ is in you, the hope of glory.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
But you must keep your faith steady and firm and not move away from the hope that the good news is offering you. This is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven and I, Paul, am its servant.
Once we were God’s enemies, but we were brought back to him through the death of his Son. And now that God has brought us back, how much more will we be saved through the life of his Son!
Brothers and sisters, we want you to know what happens to those who die. We don’t want you to mourn, as other people do because they don’t have any hope.
May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father encourage your hearts and make you strong in every good thing that you do and say. God loved us and by his grace he has given us good hope and encouragement that will last forever.
But make sure that you honor Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have. But do this gently and with respect.